Israel, much like the fortress of Tel-Chai that Jospeh Trumpeldor fought to defend against Arab conquerors in 1920, finds itself beseiged by enemies both within and without. Terrorists, would-be friends inside and outside Israel, and even bad government officials. Here are the discussions of one proud Zionist resident on the state of the nation and abroad.

Friday, April 22, 2016

If WotW really wants to hold a "women's priestly blessing" at Western Wall, let them

Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit prohibited on Thursday the Women of the Wall from staging a female priestly blessing ceremony at the Western Wall during Passover.

WoW strongly protested the decision, but the group’s executive director, Lesley Sachs, said WoW “would not do that which the attorney-general has forbidden,” although adding that they would nevertheless go ahead with their festive prayer service “with all its components” on Sunday morning.

The proposed “birkat kohanot” ceremony had incensed even further the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) world, already smarting from several recent legal defeats regarding religious life in the country, as well as the government agreement to establish a state-recognized egalitarian prayer section at the southern end of the Western Wall.

At the request of Religious Services Minister David Azoulay of Shas, Mandelblit held a hearing on the WoW ceremony Thursday morning with representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Religious Services Ministry, Administrator of the Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz and officials from the Justice Ministry.

Rabinowitz and the Religious Services Ministry representative argued that a female priestly blessing contravened local custom at the Western Wall, noting that it had never been performed at the site.

Well they're not qualified to judge whether it should or shouldn't be. The Haredi community's not helping their image by taking offense at petty issues while turning their backs on more serious ones like jihadism eating the country. This only confirms they want to draw as much - and possibly more - attention than WotW do.

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About me

I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best.